Set design by Maise Meiklejohn for the Drop cloth of "Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn", Arts Theatre, November 24th 1942.

Design for the Drop Cloth. The design depicts a selection of Victorian style advertisements around a border that frames the title of the melodrama.

This set design by Maise Meiklejohn is part of an extensive collection of designs by the artist purchased by the Theatre Museum in 1990. The design was executed for a production of the melodrama "Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn" performed at the Arts Theatre, November 24th 1942. The production was produced by Alec Clunes, and the cast included Miss Horder as Maria Marten, Mr Somers as William Corder, and the 17 year old Richard Attenborough as Tim Bobbin.

Historical significance: This design was executed for a production by the actor/producer Alec Clunes, whose greatest achievement was his direction of eight seasons of plays at the Arts Theatre during a period when money and actors were scarce and scenery hard to get. He introduced an ambitious and intellectually demanding repertory of unearthed English classics and promoted the staging of foreign plays, as an alternative to the usual West End fare of "leg shows" and average drawing room pieces, which earned him the status, according to one critic of "pocket national theatre".
Leela Meinertas, 1990.

Reason For Production: Commission

S.204-2002